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Retail Services Price Index (RSPI)

Status:

Active

Frequency:

Quarterly

Record number:

5135

The purpose of the survey is to collect and compile price data to measure the monthly change in the movement of the price of retail services over time. These price data are combined and the component indexes chained to form a price index. The estimates are produced on a quarterly basis.

Detailed information for fourth quarter 2014

Description

The Retail Services Price Index is constructed from price data collected by the Retail Trade Price Report. These price data are combined to estimate a price index for retail services that can be joined with other business services indexes to provide better estimates of real output and productivity, monitor inflation and feed an important research agenda at Statistics Canada.

Statistical activity

This index is part of the Services Producer Price Index program (SPPI) at Statistics Canada.

The SPPI program develops and produces price indexes for a number of business service categories. This initiative fills an important data gap in the area of economic statistics and has resulted in a more comprehensive set of service price indexes. These indexes allow Statistics Canada to produce more accurate estimates of real-value added (Gross Domestic Product) and changes in productivity.

Reference period:

The time period for which the RSPI equals 100; currently this is the year 2008.

Collection period:

Collection takes place during the quarter following the reference quarter.

Subjects

Prices and price indexes

Retail and wholesale

Service price indexes

Data sources and methodology

Target population

For the RSPI, the target population consists of all enterprises with at least one establishment classified to the retail sector (NAICS 44-45) on the Business Register (BR) as defined by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 2007), excluding Automobile and Other Motor Vehicle Dealers and Non-Store Retailers (NAICS 4411, 4412 and 454).

Instrument design

Pricing methodologies and questionnaire design were researched and based on internationally accepted practice. The Retail Trade Price Report was developed and tested through consultation and collaboration with retailers, industry experts and the Questionnaire Design and Research Centre at Statistics Canada.

Sampling

This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design and a longitudinal follow-up.

The frame consists of those units on Statistics Canada's Business Register with at least one operation classified to the retail sector (NAICS 44-45). The population is stratified by 5-digit NAICS and by size based on revenue. The sample is allocated to strata by revenue and selected based on probability proportional to size using Sequential Poisson sampling. The sampling unit is at the enterprise level.

Data sources

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents.

Monthly data are collected on a quarterly basis via electronic questionnaire and by mail out, mail back paper questionnaires, while telephone communication (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) is used for non-response and data follow-up. Several follow-up contacts can be made including sending out an email, fax or letter reminder in order to collect data.

Error detection

Error detection is conducted at the time of data collection and also during post collection processing, using a set of systematized error detection procedures to identify outliers and possible reporting anomalies. Records that fail these edits are reviewed for editing and correction when necessary or edit failure may trigger a follow-up with the respondent.

Imputation

Non-response or missing price data are imputed using the averages of designated cells from responding units within the same strata.

Estimation

Estimates are produced by calculating a weighted average of price relatives by industry which are chained together to form an index series. The Retail Services Price Index is a national index that uses establishment revenues as its weighting source.

Quality evaluation

The survey methodology was designed to control for errors and to reduce their potential impact on estimates. The data are subject to collection and processing validations on key variables and most non-essential data. Analysis at the index level is also performed at various stages of aggregation. Qualitative assessment is done using an internationally developed framework for producer price indexes that considers program elements such as the type of price being used, timeliness and relevance.

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

Collected data will be converted to price indexes and data will be released as such, so that it will not be possible to identify the suppliers of the original raw data used to derive information on prices.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

Data for the most recent quarter are preliminary. The previous quarter of the series is subject to revision. The series is also subject to an annual revision released with second quarter data of the following reference year. The indexes are not seasonally adjusted.

Data accuracy

The survey achieves about a 75% response rate and uses a survey methodology designed to control errors and reduce their effect on estimates. However, the survey results remain subject to sampling and non-sampling error. Sampling error results when observations are made only on a sample and not on the entire population, while all other errors arising from the various survey phases are referred to as non-sampling errors. For example, these types of errors can occur when a respondent provides incorrect information or does not answer certain questions; when a unit in the target population is omitted or covered more than once; when a unit that is out of scope to the survey is included by mistake or when coding or capture errors occur.

The non-response portion of the sample is imputed to achieve an effective 100% coverage. Based on the response rates, large units are more likely to be non-respondents.